MADISON, Wis. — Several of Sen. Ron Johnson’s colleagues will take to the floor of the United States Senate today and request votes on a series of nominees to fill judicial vacancies, including the Federal Court of Appeals Seventh Circuit that covers Wisconsin. Due to the unprecedented partisan obstructionism of Sen. Johnson, the Seventh Circuit has the longest vacancy of any Appeals Court in the nation.

One Wisconsin Institute Executive Director Scot Ross commented, “Sen. Johnson has chosen to play partisan politics, and for his entire term a seat on the critically important federal court has gone unfilled. When Ron Johnson refuses to do his job, our courts can’t do theirs.”

Time is running out to fill the spot on the federal bench that has been open for nearly 2,400 days. President Obama’s nomination of Donald Schott recently received bipartisan support and was approved by the Judiciary Committee. However, Schott has not been scheduled for action before the full Senate. With the session scheduled to recess for the summer after July 15, failure to act now means the vacancy could stretch into the next year.

Ross noted that Johnson has also stood with the Washington D.C. Republican leadership in refusing to give a fair hearing and timely vote to President Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.

He concluded, “Our courts matter. They are where we turn to to ensure all Americans are treated equally regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation. We count on them to protect our rights like participating in the political process and to make our own medical decisions. It’s time for Sen. Ron Johnson to show he understands that courts matter and do his job so the courts can do theirs.”

One Wisconsin Institute is a non-partisan, progressive research and education organization dedicated to a Wisconsin with equal economic opportunity for all.

Government employees who refuse to do their job because that have a belief WILL BE FIRED. Even Scot Walker has made sure of this so why has Ron Johnson been able to stonewall the USA and Wisconsin for so long.

Come on Ronnie….. do your job and listen to the people who elected you and do what is right.

Please, Senator Johnson, encourage a vote today on the candidate for Supreme Court Justice. Your efforts at saying you are doing your job by not doing your job have made you look like you are standing in bunched up undies for so long that your constituents are feeling your discomfort.

Our Supreme Court needs another Justice soon. Do your job.

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.